alter star_border
/al-ter/ [ao1.l.t.er0] play_circle_filledAlter is the base word in many words, such as alternation, alternative, alternate and alternating. Alter is a verb which simply means “to cause change, or to make different.” Many times, you will hear brides talking about getting their wedding dress “altered” or changed to fit them perfectly. Used in a sentence, “If you alter your plans, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Example sentences:
- Little had altered in the village.
- Alcohol can alter a person's mood.
- He altered his will to leave everything to his sister.
- This one small event altered the course of history.
PHRASES
not alter the fact that
Unemployment has come down slightly but this does not alter the fact that it is still a major problem.
characteristic star_border
/char-ac-ter-is-tic/ [k.eh2.r.ih0.k.t.er0.ih1.s.t.ih0.k] play_circle_filledDefinition: Typical of a particular person, place, or thing;A feature or quality belonging typically to a person, place, or thing and serving to identify them
Example senences:
- Dishes in each region have their own set of characteristic flavours.
logical star_border
/log-i-cal/ [l.aa1.jh.ih0.k.ah0.l] play_circle_filledLogical describes something that comes from clear reasoning. Using a fire extinguisher to put it out a fire is a logical step. Trying to put it out with gasoline is not. Used in a sentence, “I want to find the most logical way to get from the airport to my hotel.”
Example sentences using the word logical:
- Since she helped us before, it's logical to assume that she'll help us again.
- He seems to be a logical choice for the job.
- She wasn't able to give me a logical explanation for her behavior.
- His arguments seemed perfectly logical.
practical star_border
/prac-ti-cal/ [p.r.ae1.k.t.ih0.k.ah0.l] play_circle_filledIf something is practical, you can actually use it, or practice it.
Example sentences:
- We can speculate about the future, but on a more practical level, we have to admit that we simply don't know what will happen.
- An engineer will address the design's practical problems.
- She has a lot of practical experience in dealing with these kinds of problems.
- The practical (meaning actual) effect of the change has been very slight.
- One of the practical advantages of living in the city is that you have access to public transportation.
- I have enough practical knowledge of German to get by.
Phrases
in practical terms
In practical terms, the experiment is going to be difficult.
Collocations
practical experience
You have to gain practical experience before you qualify as a solicitor.
practical work
Archaeology students are required to do a certain amount of practical work.
practical problems/difficulties
The local Social Services Department may be able to help with practical problems.
practical help/support (also practical assistance formal)
There will be trained people available to listen and to provide practical help.
practical advice
The booklets offer clear, practical advice on running your business.
practical use
Knowledge without understanding is of little practical use.
practical considerations
There are a number of practical considerations that must be taken into account when choosing a car.
practical implications
He was well aware of the practical implications of his theory.
practically star_border
/prac-ti-cal-ly/ [p.r.ae1.k.t.ih0.k.ah0.l.iy0] play_circle_filledPractically means nearly, like being practically broke if you have three dollars left in the whole world. If you have practically no free time, you have nearly no free time. If your hair is practically blonde, it is almost blonde.
Example sentences:
- He'd known the old man practically all his life.
- I know people who find it practically impossible to give up smoking.
- We need to discuss the issue practically (meaning sensibly) before we make any decisions.
- Practically speaking, Alaska is too far to go for just a few days.
- The project is practically complete.
- Football is practically a religion in some places.
alternating star_border
/al-ter-nat-ing/ [ao1.l.t.er0.n.ey2.t.ih0.ng] play_circle_filledAnything that alternates can be described as alternating.
Let's paraphrase this sentence with "alternating".
- To make the appetizer, you should alternate layers of tomatoes and cheese.
Here is the paraphrased version
- To make the appetizer, you should use alternating layers of tomatoes and cheese.
Let's look at more example sentences:
- The shirt has alternating red and yellow stripes.
- The principle of the Tesla coil is simple enough, as we have seen. It is essentially an air-core transformer or inductor in which an alternating current, when passed through a coiled wire, creates an 'oscillating' magnetic field.
analytical star_border
/an-a-lyt-i-cal/ [ae2.n.ah0.l.ih1.t.ih0.k.ah0.l] play_circle_filledDefinition: Relating to or using analysis or logical reasoning:
Example sentences:
- Actually, I've never really thought about this analytically
ascertain star_border
/as-cer-tain/ [ae2.s.er0.t.ey1.n] play_circle_filledDefinition: Find (something) out for certain; make sure of
Example sentences:
- It would be appreciated if you would ascertain this information in a timely manner.
- The jury made a decision based on its ascertainment of the facts.
broaden star_border
/broad-en/ [b.r.ao1.d.ah0.n] play_circle_filledThe verb, broaden is to expand, and it is normally referring to expanding your views or change your opinion. The phrase "broaden/widen somebody's horizons " is often used. Here are example sentences
- Mt interests broadened as I grew up.
- Studying abroad can broaden the students' vision.
- A year of traveling, a gap year can broaden the students' horizons.
- This trip to the Far East has certainly broadened our family's horizons.
It's kind of funny that the word broad can communicate such an expansive range of ideas since the word "expansive" is, in fact, a synonym for broad.
This adjective can be used to describe actual physical spaces. A broad highway, for example, would be difficult to cross because of all the cars in the many lanes of the road.
The word can also be used more figuratively.
- American history covers a broad range of topics and events.
- A broad-minded person is open to new ideas, while broad humor aims for a mass audience with obvious gags and stunts.
chiefly star_border
/chiefly/ [ch.iy1.f.l.iy0] play_circle_filledDefinition: for the most part
Example sentences:
- Heroin abuse is soaring, thanks chiefly to its cheap price and widespread availability.
classification star_border
/clas-si-fi-ca-tion/ [k.l.ae2.s.ah0.f.ah0.k.ey1.sh.ah0.n] play_circle_filledDefinition: A category into which something is put.
Example senences:
- Several classifications are used to categorize individual apple trees
defy star_border
/de-fy/ [d.ih0.f.ay1] play_circle_filledDefinition: resist or confront with resistance
Example sentences:
- The effect almost makes it look as if one can defy gravity.
- Scientists are often rewarded for delivering results that dazzle and defy expectation, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
disparity star_border
/dis-par-i-ty/ [d.ih0.s.p.eh1.r.ah0.t.iy0] play_circle_filledDefinition: A great difference
Example sentences:
- Income and standards of living disparities in different regions of the country have become a growing problem.
dissect star_border
/dis-sect/ [d.ay0.s.eh1.k.t] play_circle_filledDefinition: Methodically cut up (a body or plant) in order to study its internal parts
Example sentences:
- From each plant one randomly chosen, fresh flower was dissected under a binocular microscope to separate the corolla, androecium and gynoecium.
distort star_border
/dis-tort/ [d.ih0.s.t.ao1.r.t] play_circle_filledDefinition: twist and press out of shape; alter the shape of (something) by stress
Example sentences:
- Time and space are distorted when traveling at the speed of light.
diversify star_border
/di-ver-si-fy/ [d.ay0.v.er1.s.ah0.f.ay2] play_circle_filledTo diversify means to have more different kinds of people or things.
- The country should diversify its energy sources.
- Farmers need to diversify their crops.
- Local agriculture has been diversified by the addition of peanuts and melons.
- Recently the economy has successfully been diversified into textiles, tourism, banking, and business outsourcing.
Diversify is often used to discuss risk in financial activities.
- You might diversify your investments by spreading your wealth among different types of stocks.
If you want to diversify your interests, that means you want to mix it up and do more than just play Dungeons and Dragons all the time — you might become active in sports, theater, and the math club.
When a company diversify, it means increasing the variety of goods, services, or range of operations
- Many publishing companies have diversified into online services.
- Our company expanded rapidly and diversified into computers.
diversity star_border
/di-ver-si-ty/ [d.ih0.v.er1.s.ih0.t.iy0] play_circle_filledWhen there's diversity, there's variety. Often, this word is used for diversity of race, class, or gender.
It is important for a workplace to have diversity, so there is a mix of opinions and ideas for how the workplace should succeed.
To have diversity, you need a mix of whatever you're talking about. If you like science fiction, romantic comedies, cartoons, and action movies, then you like a diversity of types of films. If you like nothing but kung fu films, then you don't like a diversity of films. No matter what kind of diversity you're talking about, there needs to be a real mix, kind of like a huge box of colored pencils.
filmmaker star_border
/film-mak-er/ [f.ih1.l.m.ey2.k.er0] play_circle_filledDefinition: A person who directs or produces movies for the theater or television.
Example sentences:
- Being a documentary filmmaker is hard work, and isn't as rewarding financially as making TV shows or feature films.
fragrant star_border
/fra-grant/ [f.r.ey1.g.r.ah0.n.t] play_circle_filledDefinition: Having a pleasant or sweet smell.
Example sentences:
- The myriad of colours and the sweet, fragrant scent of the blooms overwhelmed the senses to the point of excess
fundamental star_border
/fun-da-men-tal/ [f.ah2.n.d.ah0.m.eh1.n.t.ah0.l] play_circle_filledDefinition: serving as an essential component
Example sentences:
- The likely accelerating effect of recent advances in artificial intelligence on technological change is going to roil our labor markets in many fundamental ways.
gratifying star_border
/grat-i-fy-ing/ [g.r.ae1.t.ah0.f.ay2.ih0.ng] play_circle_filledDefinition: giving pleasure or a feeling of accomplishment; showing thanks
Example sentences:
- The milestone is especially gratifying to the director, an early adopter of digital photography and an advocate of the Internet’s power to transform museums.
- It’s been incredibly gratifying to take this dream and make it a reality.
grieve star_border
/grieve/ [g.r.iy1.v] play_circle_filledDefinition: Suffer grief
Example sentences:
- she grieved for her father
hierarchy star_border
/hi-er-ar-chy/ [hh.ay1.er0.aa2.r.k.iy0] play_circle_filledDefinition: A system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority:
Example sentences:
- The most important thing in the election of the chairman was not professional competence in the field, but activity within the Party and a sufficiently high status in the political hierarchy.
hypothesis star_border
/hy-pothe-ses/ [hh.ay0.p.aa1.th.ah0.s.iy2.z] play_circle_filledDefinition: A proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without any assumption of its truth.
Example sentences:
- What factors could affect the population of the CoT starfish that can cause it to suddenly rise? Several hypotheses which are still debatable up to the present time have been developed by various environmentalists.
- The only thing you can do is say the evidence suggests that the hypothesis is true.
internal star_border
/in-ter-nal/ [ih2.n.t.er1.n.ah0.l] play_circle_filledThe adjective internal describes something on the inside. If you're tempted by the second piece of cake, you may have an internal battle with yourself over whether you should eat the cake or not. You might have an internal struggle with whether or not you should go on the vacation because you are a little short of cash.
Internal can also describe something that takes place within a country or a group.You may have to write internal reports for your boss––reports that aren't supposed to be seen outside the company.
Example sentences using "internal" as a representation of locating on the inside:
- The internal structure of the planet
- The theory has some internal inconsistencies
Countries and organizations have internal affairs. An example sentence of each is shown below:
- The office of internal revenue
- The new policy was spelled out in an internal memo
internalize star_border
/in-ter-nal-ize/ [ih2.n.t.er1.n.ah0.l.ay2.z] play_circle_filledInternalize means to accept or absorb an idea, opinion, belief, etc. so that it becomes part of yours. Here are example sentences
- Children internalize their parents' values.
- When learning math, you should internalize mathematical concepts.
- If you are a debater who internalizes a topic, then you know it inside and out
- One way to know that you're internalizing a topic correctly is when you're reading a textbook and you start to guess or ask about something the author is just about to talk about.
- To internalize the grammar, knowing and understanding the rules is one thing, but then indeed one needs to have access to a significant amount of “samples” of sentence structures to keep in mind on an unconscious level.
If you internalize your emotions or feelings, you do not allow them to show although you think about them. For example, if you are hurt but don’t tell anyone, you internalize the pain. Another situation could be if you are heartbroken because your boyfriend broke up with you, you may internalize those feelings, so no one knows you are sad.
irrational star_border
/ir-ra-tional/ [ih2.r.ae1.sh.ah0.n.ah0.l] play_circle_filledDefinition: Not logical or reasonable
Example sentences:
- The more irrational and illogical someone becomes, the more logical and incisive I become
lethal star_border
/lethal/ [l.iy1.th.ah0.l] play_circle_filledDefinition: Sufficient to cause death
Example sentences:
- The gas acts like mustard gas, and can prove lethal to those with respiratory problems.
mathematical star_border
/math-e-mat-i-cal/ [m.ae2.th.ah0.m.ae1.t.ih0.k.ah0.l] play_circle_filledDefinition: Relating to mathematics:
Example sentences:
- His interests are in discrete differential geometry and mathematical visualization.
methodical star_border
/me-thod-i-cal/ [m.ah0.th.aa1.d.ah0.k.ah0.l] play_circle_filledMethodical means following a method. If you follow the same sixteen steps in the same order when you make a fire, you could be said to take a methodical approach to this activity.
Example sentences:
- Da Vinci was methodical in his research, carefully recording his observations and theories.
- Their methodical review of the evidence exposed some problems with the study's findings.
- She's a slow and methodical worker, and her drawings reflect the extra care she takes.
The prepositions “in”, “about” and “with” are often used.
Example sentences with the preposition “in”:
- He was methodical in his planning.
- We were methodical in making the decision.
- They should be methodical in their thinking.
- You should have an enquiring mind, a good eye for detail and be accurate and methodical in your work.
Example sentence with the preposition “about”:
- If more people were so methodical about their decision-making processes, the world would be a better place.
Example sentences with the preposition “with”:
Really, you have to be methodical with security analyses.
noteworthy star_border
/note-wor-thy/ [n.ow1.t.w.er2.dh.iy0] play_circle_filledDefinition: worthy of notice
Example sentences:
- The last and more noteworthy finding was that students’ first impressions of their classmates tended to align with their classmates’ own self-assessments.
notion star_border
/no-tion/ [n.ow1.sh.ah0.n] play_circle_filledDefinition: an idea; belief; or opinion
Example sentences:
- Others say this advice, which stems from the notion that eating saturated fat promotes heart disease, is not supported by scientific evidence.
oversimplify star_border
/over-sim-pli-fy/ [ow0.v.er0.s.ih1.m.p.l.ih0.f.ay2] play_circle_filledDefinition: (often as adjective oversimplified);Simplify (something) so much that a distorted impression of it is given
Example sentences:
- This desire for social engineering shows that the Treasury has a caricatured and oversimplified idea of the world outside, as one would expect from people widely insulated from real life.
philanthropic star_border
/phil-an-thropic/ [f.ih2.l.ah0.n.th.r.aa1.p.ih0.k] play_circle_filledDefinition: a feeling of love for people; generous in assistance to the poor
Example sentences:
- We need entrepreneurs, politicians, philanthropic foundations, and development organizations working together to solve the unemployment crisis and make the city an engine of growth.
- The philanthropic work of the foundation benefits all sectors of society.
philosophical star_border
/philo-soph-i-cal/ [f.ih2.l.ah0.s.aa1.f.ih0.k.ah0.l] play_circle_filledDefinition: Relating or devoted to the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence
Example sentences:
- Many philosophers today deny that philosophical questions about knowledge have any special character
physiological star_border
/phys-i-o-log-i-cal/ [f.ih2.z.iy0.ah0.l.aa1.jh.ih0.k.ah0.l] play_circle_filledDefinition:
Example sentences:
- I'm thinking maybe my problems are physiological rather than psychological.
postulate star_border
/pos-tu-late/ [p.aa1.s.ch.ah0.l.ey2.t] play_circle_filledIf you postulate something, you suggest it as the basis for a theory, argument, or calculation, or assume that it is the basis. Example sentences:
- The theory postulates [=claims, posits] that carbon dioxide emissions contribute to global warming.
- Scientists have postulated the existence of water on the planet.
practicality star_border
/prac-ti-cal-i-ty/ [p.r.ae2.k.t.ih0.k.ae1.l.ah0.t.iy0] play_circle_filledPracticality means the quality of being appropriate or suited for actual use. If you choose your new shoes based on their practicality, you'll probably buy a pair of sneakers, rather than knee-high boots with five-inch heels.
Example sentences:
- The debate on the practicality of wind as a source of renewable energy has been going on for decades.
- His optimism and practicality make him a skilled businessman.
- The size of the machine makes me doubt its practicality (meaning suitability) for use in the home.
- I know you like the dressy shoes better than the sneakers, but I think you should choose based on practicality, not style.
premise star_border
/premise/ [p.r.eh1.m.ih0.s] play_circle_filledDefinition: A previous statement or proposition from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion:
Example sentences:
- If the premise is true, then the conclusion must be true. More formally, the conclusion of a deduction follows necessarily from the premisses.
presumably star_border
/pre-sum-ably/ [p.r.ah0.z.uw1.m.ah0.b.l.iy0] play_circle_filledDefinition: by reasonable assumption
Example sentences:
- Presumably, this new application will encourage participants to eat better and be more physical active.
redundant star_border
/re-dun-dant/ [r.ih0.d.ah1.n.d.ah0.n.t] play_circle_filledDefinition: more than is needed, desired, or required
Example sentences:
- Now smartphone cameras are so good that point-and-shoot cameras seem almost redundant.
routinely star_border
/rou-tine-ly/ [r.uw0.t.iy1.n.l.iy0] play_circle_filledDefinition: according to routine or established practice
Example sentences:
- Soccer players routinely sustain trauma on the pitch in any number of ways, and head-to-head collisions on contested headers commonly result in concussions.
- Patients are routinely asked to share their Social Security numbers when seeing a healthcare provider for the first time.
selective star_border
/se-lec-tive/ [s.ah0.l.eh1.k.t.ih0.v] play_circle_filledSelective means characterized by choice. If your mother only remembers the good things and not the bad, she has a selective memory. If a school chooses to offer only a few students spots, it is selective.
Example sentences:
- My dad always asked me if I had selective hearing because I wouldn’t follow directions.
- Selective breeding may result in a greyhound running faster and seeing better than a wolf.
- Sales still happen, but buyers are more selective.
- We seem to have a selective memory for the best bits of the past.
skeptical star_border
/skep-ti-cal/ [s.k.eh1.p.t.ah0.k.ah0.l] play_circle_filledDefinition: to question the truthfulness of information presented as facts; to not trust
Example sentences:
- I have always been deeply ambivalent — if not outright skeptical — about this hardware feature on an cell phone.
- Some studies suggest that a skeptical brain works differently than a believing brain.
speculation star_border
/spec-u-la-tion/ [s.p.eh2.k.y.ah0.l.ey1.sh.ah0.n] play_circle_filledDefinition: The forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence
Example sentences:
- The profitability of the trade has given rise to speculation that money from wildlife is financing terrorist activities. there has been widespread speculation that he plans to quit
speculative star_border
/spec-u-la-tive/ [s.p.eh1.k.y.ah0.l.ah0.t.ih0.v] play_circle_filledDefinition: (Of an investment) involving a high risk of loss;not based on fact or investigation
Example sentences:
- A senior banker who did not wish to be named said there was no need to impose any additional controls on loans for speculative investments as would be needed for other kinds of investment.
- They are entirely guesswork, speculative and based on unsound mathematics designed to promote the private healthcare system
systematic star_border
/sys-tem-at-ic/ [s.ih2.s.t.ah0.m.ae1.t.ih0.k] play_circle_filledUse the adjective "systematic" to describe things that are orderly and efficient. Think about a multi-step process that you have found the fastest and best way to complete — you do it over and over. You might be systematic about packing for a long trip or the way you travel up and down the aisles at a grocery store, probably with a list in your hand. If your mother has several children, she is has probably learned to be very systematic with her planning.
Example sentences:
- We used a systematic approach to solve the problem.
- She made a systematic study of the evidence.
- He is very systematic (meaning methodical) in his work.
- They went about their business in a systematic way.
The prepositions “in”, “about” and “with” are often used.
Example sentences with the preposition “in”:
- Be regular and systematic in your practice.
- They are not systematic in their approach because they are so influenced by the mood of the moment.
Example sentences with the preposition “about”:
- To a large extent, I am systematic about making sure the reader immediately knows that these are not mine.
- Our nationwide health-care system makes it easier to be systematic about finding people with early symptoms of an autoimmune disease who might take part.
Example sentences with the preposition “with”:
- Success is a science and can be predictable, accelerated and systematic with this proven approach.
systematically star_border
/sys-tem-at-i-cal-ly/ [s.ih2.s.t.ah0.m.ae1.t.ih0.k.l.iy0] play_circle_filledUse the adverb "systematically" when you describe something that's carried out in a deliberate way.
Example sentences:
- We approached the problem systematically.
- She began applying systematically to colleges.
- I systematically memorize every word in the dictionary, starting with A and working my way through the alphabet,
theoretically star_border
/the-o-ret-i-cal-ly/ [th.iy2.er0.eh1.t.ih0.k.ah0.l.iy0] play_circle_filledDefinition: in theory; according to the assumed facts
Example sentences:
- Her argument was theoretically appealing, but not realistic.
- He notes that America's currently near-zero interest rates should theoretically encourage firms to borrow money needed for technological or structural expansion.
underway star_border
/un-der-way/ [ah2.n.d.er0.w.ey1] play_circle_filledDefinition: Having started and in progress; being done or carried out
Example sentences:
- It feels great to get under a hot shower and snuggle in my cozy cabin as the large vessel gets underway
viable star_border
/vi-able (noun: vi-a-bil-i-ty)/ [no ipa available] play_circle_filledDefinition: (Of a plant, animal, or cell) capable of surviving or living successfully, especially under particular environmental conditions:
Example sentences:
- In addition, their long shelf life eventually might translate into a reduced number of viable cells. The company says the rationalisation is necessary in order to secure the firm's viability.
Words List
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CERF B1-B2
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alter
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characteristic
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logical
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practical
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practically
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CERF C1-C2
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alternating
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analytical
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ascertain
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broaden
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chiefly
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classification
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defy
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disparity
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dissect
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distort
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diversify
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diversity
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filmmaker
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fragrant
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fundamental
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gratifying
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grieve
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hierarchy
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hypothesis
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internal
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internalize
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irrational
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lethal
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mathematical
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methodical
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noteworthy
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notion
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oversimplify
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philanthropic
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philosophical
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physiological
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postulate
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practicality
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premise
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presumably
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redundant
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routinely
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selective
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skeptical
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speculation
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speculative
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systematic
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systematically
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theoretically
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underway
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viable
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